Container



y 10, 1966 J. J. WATERS 3,250,418

CONTAINER Filed Jan. 31, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR g/QSfP J 114712-7513 ATTORNEYS J. J. WATERS CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JOSE/ c1 11 475415 May 10, 1966 Filed Jan. 31, 1964 N\ I 1 1". lmVMW mm,

w m QN United States Patent 3,259,418 CONTAINER Joseph J. Waters, Abington, Pa., assignor to Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of New York Filed Ian. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 341,495 Claims. (Cl. 215-46) The present invention relates generally to containers and more particularly to an improved finish for glass containers such as bottles which are sealed by means of closures of the type known as crown closures or caps.

' Glass containers or bottles of the type contemplated in the instant invention, wherein the closure and sealing thereof are effected by means of a standard metal crown closure, are commonly employed to contain carbonated beverages or other liquids capable of exerting internal pressure. Typically, such glass bottles have the so-called standard glass finish or crown finish, which includes a circumferential radially outwardly projecting bead having a rounded profile, adjacent their opening or mouth. In applying a standard metal crown cap having a liner of cork or other suitable gasket material to effect the closure of bottles having the aforementioned standard glass finish, the gasket or liner is initially compressed between the metal of the crown cap and the generally upwardly facing sealing surface of the standard glass finish at the mouth of the bottle to form a seal therebetween. While the seal between the sealing surface of the bottle and the crown closure is maintained, a suitable die means engages the fluted ski-rt portion of the crown closure so as to radially compress and deform the fluted skirt portion of the closure inwardly so as to grip the aforementioned bead portion of the finish to thereby maintain the seal.

v This prior practice, while effectively sealing the contents within the container, has numerous disadvantages. Thus, such prior efforts require considerable deformation of the metal of the crown closure in order to obtain an adequate grip or locking engagement of the fluted skirt of the closure with the beaded finish of the bottle in order to maintain the desired seal. Consequently, when the crown closure is removed, considerable bodily deformation of the metal closure by means of a special tool or opener, is necessary in order to release the grip or locking engagement of the skirt portion of the closure with the standard finish of the bottle. Such substantial deformation of the crown closure, necessary to effect the removal thereof from the bottle, rendersthe crown closure un usable or incapable of being used to effectively reseal the bottle. Effective rescaling of the container is obviously particularly desirable where the contents of the container comprise a carbonated liquid and only a portion thereof is to be used at the time the container is initially opened.

To this end, it has been necessary in the past to provide various types of specially made stoppers, frequently of relatively complicated and expensive constructions, which are employed to reseal such opened bottles and thereby protect the unused contents and prevent decarbonation thereof. In addition, the necessity of employing special tools or openers in order to effect such removal of the crown closure from the bottle is obviously undesirable. Thus, such special tools or openers are not only a source of added expense, but also their necessity is a well-known source of annoyance since most consumers, at one time or another, have experienced annoyance and frustration when such special tools or openers have been lost or mis- 'ice placed and replacements thereof were not readily avai1- able.

In the past, efforts have been made to overcome some of these aforedescribed disadvantages of the prior art; however, they'have met with only limited success. Typically, these prior efforts include modification or redesign of the crown closure construction and thus necessitate undesirable and expensive retooling of existing closure production and application machinery.

Other prior art efforts, particularly those which sought to eliminate the necessity of special tools or openers for effecting removal of the crown closures, resulted not only in expensive and commercially impracticable constructions which frequently compromised the quality of the initial seal effected by the crown closure but also necessitated such distortion of the crown closure during removal that effective rescaling therewith was impossible. Obviously, it is highly desirable that the aforedescribed disadvantages of the prior art be overcome without compromising the quality of the initial seal effected by the crown closure while at the same time permitting utilization of standard crown closures so as to permit the use of existing production facilities without expensive modification, retooling and redesign thereof.

Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved finish for glass containers and bottles for use with crown closures.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved finish for glass bottles so as to permit the sealing and unsealing of the bottle by means of a standard crown closure without excessive deformation of the crown closure.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved finish for glass bottles which are to be sealed by standard crown closures, wherein the crown closure may be readily removed from the bottle and reapplied by hand to effect a tight seal.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide an improved glass bottle which is adapted to be sealed by a standard crown closure wherein the crown closure may be readily removed from the "bottle without the necessity of employing specially designed tools or openers.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bottle sealed by a standard crown closure wherein only slight deformation of the crown closure is necessary to effect removal thereof and such removal may thereof by removal of the crown closure without the use of special tools or openers but with commonly available lever means such as coins or the like and without substantial deformation of the crown closure so that the surface 30 having a radius R in radial section.

ings. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent as the description herein progresses. Reference now being made to the accom panying drawings which form a part hereof, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the neck portion of a glass bottle embodying this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the glass bottle shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the top profile of the glass bottle shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the neck portion of a glass bottle embodying this invention with the mouth of the bottle sealed by a standard crown closure according to this invention; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a specific dimensioned example of a crown closure receiving finish embodying the present invention.

Referring now to FIGURES l, 2 and 3 of the drawings, there is shown a fragmentary portion of a glass container or bottle having a neck portion 12 provided at the open upper end or mouth portion 14 thereof with a crown closure receiving finish 16 and an annular outwardly extending shoulder or shelf'18 spaced therebclow.

The finish 16 generally comprises a thickened or transversely enlarged portion at the mouth portion 14 of the bottle and will be seen to include an annular generally upwardly facing flat sealing surface 20 extending transversely to the longitudinal axis X of the neck 14, an outwardly facing longitudinally extending cylindrical surface 22 concentric to the axis X and an annular upwardly diverging beveled or conical closure gripping surface 24 extending obliquely to the axis X.

While the upwardly facing annular sealing surface 20 can extend in a plane normal to the axis X and thus be normal to the cylindrical surface 22, as shown in the drawings, it has been found that its sealing function will not be impaired while the molding of the half sectionsforming the bottle will be facilitated if the sealing surface 20 is inclined slightly to the normal plane so as to extend both outwardly and slightly downwardly of the axis X as shown by the dotted line 20 in FIGURE 3. This departure or inclination from a plane normal to the axis X need only be very slight, generally not exceeding about 5 as indicated in FIGURE 3. The upwardly facing sealing surface 20 is connected to the interior inwardly facing cylindrical wall surface 26 of the bottle 10 by an annular outwardly flaring arcuate inner transition or edge surface 28 having a radius B in radial section. The outer cylindrical surface 22 is connected to the upwardly facing sealing surface 20 by the annular inwardly flaring arcuate outer transition or edge The disposition of the conical gripping surface 24 relative to the cylindrical surface 22 is such that the oblique exterior angle A formed by the intersection of the conical surface 24 and the cylindrical surface 22 with a vertical plane is within the range of 210 to 230 degrees and preferably about 225 degrees. The conical gripping surface 24 and the outwardly facing cylindrical surface 22 meet at a relatively sharp slightly rounded annular gripping edge surface 32. It is important in accordance with the invention, as will be more fully explained hereinafter, that the gripping edge surface 32 be relatively sharp, and that it have at most a very small radius R For example, it has been found that the radius R should not exceed 0.025" and is preferably in the range of 0.0lO"-0.01S" for sealing a glass bottle 10 with a standard crown closure. Radially inwardly, the conical gripping surface 24 merges into the reduced diameter generally cylindrical neck portion 34 of the bottle 10 in an annular transversely arcuate juncture or fillet 36.

The annular outwardly extending shoulder 18 which is spaced axially below the conical gripping surface 24 includes an upwardly facing fiat annular bearing or camming surface 38 extending radially outwardly from the reduced cylindrical neck portion 34 in a plane substantially normal to the axis X. Thus, the upwardly facing annular cammin'g surface 38, the reduced cylindrical neck portion 34 and the conical gripping surface 24 will be seen to define an annular space or slot 40 underlying the finish 16. The upwardly facing annular cam-ming surface 38 should be spaced below the conical gripping surface 24 such that when a standard crown closure is in operative sealing engagement with the finish 16 a sufficient space exists between the lowermost extremity of the skirt portion of the crown closure and the surface 38 to permit the insertion of a suitable camming instrument such as a coin or the like into the annular slot 40, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

Referring now to FIGURE 4 of the drawings, there is shown the neck portion 112 of the glass bottle 10 with a standard crown closure 42 secured in operative sealing engagement with the closure receiving finish 16. The standard crown closure 42 includes a sheet metal shell 44 having a top portion 46 and a depending fluted skirt portion 48 terminating in a lowermost peripheral edge 50.

The fluted skirt portion 48, as is Well known, is provided with inwardly directed flutes 52 alternating with outwardly directed rib forming pleats 5-4. Secured to the inner surface or underside of the top portion 46 is a gasket or liner 56 of compressible molded resilient material such as a suitable thermoplastic or elastomeric material compounded so as to be odorless and tasteless and to be free from effects on, or to be affected by ordinary foods or liquids which may be stored in the bottle 10. Preferably,

the liner 56 comprises a vinyl chloride plastisol such as has been illustrated in US. Patent 3,002,641.

The plastisol liner 56 will be seen to have been deformed during the capping operation so as to conform to, and be in intimate sealing engagement with, the upwardly facing sealing surface 20, the inner transitional edge surface 28 and the outer transitional edge surface 30 of the closure receiving finish 16. Such deformation of the liner 56 will cause an inwardly disposed annular ridge 58 to be formed therein which is in sealing engagement with the inwardly curving inner transitional edge surface 28.

It will be apparent upon further consideration of FIGURE 4 that when the contents of the container are such as to exert gas pressure in excess of atmospheric, an increase in the internal pressure within the container will tend to act upon the liner 56 and thereby urge the ridge 58 into firmer sealing contact with the inner edge surface 28 to thereby increase the effectiveness of the seal between the liner 56 and the closure receiving finish 16.

In order to retain the liner 56 in intimate sealing engagement with the closure receiving finish 16, as aforedescribed, the fluted skirt 48 of the crown closure 46 has, under the influence of a suitable capping die (not shown), been crimped by being sharply bent or deformed inwardly as at 60 about the small radius R of the relatively sharp annular gripping edge surface 32 so as to form and dispose therebelow relatively short locking or gripping shoulders 62 in intimate gripping contact with the conical gripping surface 24. The locking or gripping shoulders 62, which are formed by lower portions of the flutes 52, will be seen to define a relatively short downwardly extending, inwardly converging, gripping surface which merges with the outwardly diverging or flaring flute portions of the lowermost marginal edge portion 64 of the fluted skirt 48 in a knee-like radially inwardly facing arcuate surface 66.

In the usual case wherein a standard crown closure is applied to a bottle having a standard glass finish, the flutes of the skirt portion of the crown closure are gradually carruned inwardly and embrace the retaining surtainer pressure than the closure just described by reference to, and illustrated in, FIGURE 4. Therefore, in order to obtain the necessary resistance to such undesirable cammiu'g action and thereby retain the crown closure in effective sealing engagement with a standard glass finish, it is necessary that the skirt portion of the crown closure be rather severely deformed or crimped to provide locking shoulders below the finish or bead having a substantial inward radial extent so as define an annular gripping surface which terminates in an inner diameter substantially less than the largest outside diameter of the standard finish or head. Thus, as is well known, the removal of such crown closures from sealing engagement with a standard glass finish requires rather severe permanent deformation of the closure as well as special tools or openers which are capable of readily effecting such severe deformation. Of course, such severe permanent deformation of the crown closure precludes its reapplication to the standard finish to effect a rescaling of the bottle.

In contradistinction thereto, by virtue of the enhanced grip on the finish 16 by the crown closure 42 resulting from the sharp bend 60, the gripping shoulders 62, accord ing to the present invention, need extend only a relatively short distance inwardly of the largest outside diameter of the finish 16. Thus, only a minimum or limited amount of distortion of the crown closure 42 is necessary to effect sufiicient outward movement of the fluted skirt portion 48 so as to permit the kneeJike arcuate surface 66 to clear the outer cylindrical surface 22 of the finish 16 and thereby effect removal of the crown closure 42. Any permanent deformation of the crown closure 42 which may occur during removal of the closure will be slight since most, if not all of the relatively slight outward distortion of the fluted skirt portion 48, necessary to permit release of the grip of the closure 42 on the finish 16, will be elastic because of the inherent or natural resiliency of the metal shell 44.

It will therefore be apparent that since there has not been material permanent deformation of the crown closure 42 during the initial removal operation, the grip between the gripping shoulders 62 and the conical gripping surface 24 of the closure receiving finish 16 may be readily reestablished merely by pressing the crown closure 42 over the finish 16 so that the inwardlymost disposed knee-like arcuate surface 66 formed in the skirt 48 will snap or spring over the gripping edge surface 32 and draw the gripping shoulders 62 into engagement with the conical gripping surface 24. Incident to such reapplication of the crown closure 42 to the bottle 10, the liner 56 will again be pressed and maintained in sealing engagement .with the closure receiving finish 16, as aforedescribed.

Accordingly, since only relatively slight distortion of the crown closure 42 is necessary in order to effect removal of the crown closure 42 from the finish 16, as aforedescribed, it is particularly feasible to effect such distortion and removal by means of readily available prying or lever instruments such as coins or the like. Thus, as best seen in FIGURE 4, removal of the crown closure 42 can be readily effected by simply inserting -a suitable lever means such as a coin 68 in the annular slot 40 so as to dispose a marginal edge portion of the coin between the lowermost peripheral edge 50 of the crown closure 42 and the upwardly facing flat carnming surface 38 of the annular outwardly extending shoulder 18 and then rotating or twisting the coin 68 relative to the slot 40, as shown by the arrows B and B so that the underside of the coin engages the cumming surface 38 while the upper side of the coin engages the lowermost peripheral edge 50 of the crown closure 42. As will be apparent, under con- 6 tinued twisting movement of the coin 68 the camming surface 38 on which the underside of the coin bears, will function as a fulcrum for the lever formed by the coin. The upper side of the coin, engaging the lowermost peripheral edge 50 of the crown closure 42, will urge or force the lowermost marginal edge portion 64 of the fluted skirt 48 upwardly and effect outward distortion or spreading of skirt 48 so that the adjacent portion of the kneelike arcuate surface 66 is moved outwardly of the finish 16 to thereby release the grip of the gripping shoulders 62 on the conical gripping surface 24 and thus effect removal of the crown closure 42 from sealing engagement with the finish 16. Alternatively, such outward camming of the knee-like arcuate surface 66 so as to permit removal of the crown closure 42, may be effected by depressing the outer edge of the coin 68, as shown by the arrow C in FIGURE 4. While a coin has been illustrated as a means for effecting removal of the crown closure, it will be apparent that many other flat implements such as keys and the like which are also commonly available can be similarly employed as a suitable lever or carnming means.

Referring now to FIGURE 5 of the drawings, there is shown a specific dimensioned example of a crown closure receiving finish 116 for a glass bottle adapted to receive a standard crown closure according to the present invention. As shown in FIGURE 5, the dimension of the finish 116 are as follows:

Outside diameter of cylindrical surface 122 1.050" Outside diameter of cylindrical neck portion Inside diameter of interior inwardly facing cylindrical wall surface 126 Radius R of inner edge surface 128 & Radius R of outer edge surface 130 0.070" Radius R of gripping edge surface 132 0.010" Vertical distance between annular sealing surface 120 and camming surface 138 0.302" Vertical distance between annular sealing surface 120 and annular gripping edge surface 132 0.140" Exterior angle A between conical gripping surface 124 and cylindrical surface 122 225 A standard crown closure having a vinyl chloride plastisol liner was applied to a bottle having the foregoing dimensions. The fluted skirt portion of the crown closure was crimped inwardly, as aforedescribed by reference to FIGURE 4 of the drawings, so as to have a minimum crimped diameter of 1.210 below the glass finish 1'16. This dimension should be contrasted with the considerably smaller corresponding crimped diameter of about 1.130" which is necessary when a similar standard crown closure is applied to a standard glass finish. The standard crown closure so applied to the finish 116 maintained its initial seal under an internal container pressure of pounds. After removal and reapplication of the crown closure, in the manner aforedescribed, the reestablished seal was maintained under 30 pounds of container pressure, which is adequate for mos-t carbonated beverages stored under refrigeration. It may be noted here that the neck portion 112 of the bottle 110 differs from that of the neck portion 12 of the bottle 10 aforedescribed in that the annular outwardly extending shoulder 118 is in the form of a radial flange, the underside of which merges with .the below disposed reduced diameter neck portion of the bottle 110 in a smooth transversely curved annular surface 108.

It will thus be seen that the objects of this invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It will be realized, however, that the foregoing specific embodiments have been shown and described only for the purpose of illustrating the principles of this invention and are subject to extensive change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A crown closure receiving finish for a glass bottle having an axially extending neck terminating at one end in a mouth adapted to be sealed by a crown closure comprising in combination: an annular sealing surface surrounding said mouth and defining the end of said neck, said annular sealing surface including a flat annular surface extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of said neck adapted to sealingly engage a crown closure; an exterior cylindrical surface concentric with said longitudinal axis of said neck extending from said annular sealing surface axially of said neck away from said one end, the axial extent of said cylindrical surface being less than the axial extent of the depending fluted skirt of a crown closure when said crown closure is in sealing engagement with said flat annular surface; and a smooth annular conical gripping surface extending axially downwardly and inwardly from said cylindrical surface so as to merge with a reduced diameter portion of said neck, said cylindrical surface and said conical gripping surface meeting in a transversely rounded surface having a relatively small radius of curvature in radial section to thereby define a relatively sharp annular edge surface about which the fluted skirt of a crown closure can be sharply bent inwardly of said cylindrical surface so that said crown closure can be retained in sealing engagement with said finish by an annular inwardly disposed portion of said fluted skirt engaging said conical gripping surface and having a relatively narrow extent radially inward of said cylindrical surface so that only relatively slight distortion of said skirt portion of said crown closure is necessary in order to effect removal of said crown closure from sealing engagement with said finish whereby said crown closure may be removed from sealing engagement with said finish without subtantial permanent deformation of said crown closure so that said crown closure can be reapplied to, and retained in sealing engagement with, said finish to thereby effectively reseal said bottle.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 wherein the radius in radial section of the sharp annular edge surface is less than 0.025 inch.

3. The structure defined in claim 1 wherein the radius in radial section of the sharp annular edge surface is in the range of 0.0l0.015 inch.

4. The structure defined in claim 2 wherein the exterior angle formed between the cylindrical surface and the conical gripping surface is within the range of 210 to 230 degrees.

5. The structure defined in claim 2 wherein the exterior angle formed between the cylindrical surface and the conical gripping surface is about 225 degrees.

6. A container adapted to be sealed by a crown closure comprising in combination: an axially extending neck terminating at one end in a mouth; a crown closure receiving finish adjacent said mouth, said finish comprising in combination, an annular sealing surface surrounding said mouth and defining the end of said neck, an exterior cylindrical surface concentric with said longitudinal axis of said neck extending from said annular sealing surface axially of said neck away from said one end, the axial extent of said cylindrical surface being less than the axial extent of the depending fluted skirt of a crown closure when said crown closure is in sealing engagement with said annular sealing surface, a smooth annular conical gripping surface extending axially downwardly and inwardly from said cylindrical surface so as to merge with a reduced diameter portion of said neck, said cylindrical surface and said conical gripping surface meeting in a transversely rounded surface having a relatively small radius of curvature in radial section to thereby define a relatively sharp annular edge surface about which the fluted skirt of a crown closure can be sharply bent inwardly of said cylindrical surface so that said crown closure can be retained in sealing engagement with said finish by an annular inwardly disposed portion of said fluted skirt engaging said conical gripping surface and having a relatively narrow extent radially inward of said cylindrical surface so that only relatively slight distortion of said skirt portion of said crown closure is necessary in order to eifect removal of said crown closure from sealing engagement with said finish; and a radially outwardly extending abutment surface spaced axially from said finish so as to provide a fulcrum for a lever means inserted between the lowermost peripheral edge of the fluted skirt of a crown closure retained in sealing engagement with said finish and said abutment surface whereby said crown closure may be removed from sealing engagement with said finish without substantial permanent deformation of said crown closure by a commonly available lever means so that said crown closure can be reapplied to, and retained in sealing engagement with, said finish to thereby effectively reseal said container.

7. The structure defined in claim 6 wherein the container is a glass bottle and the annular sealing surface includes a flat annular surface extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of the neck adapted to sealingly engage a crown closure.

8. The structure defined in claim 7 wherein the abutment surface is an annular surface.

9. The structure defined in claim 7 wherein the radius in radial section of the sharp annular edge surface is less than 0.025 inch.

10. The structure defined in claim 7 wherein the radius in radial section of the sharp annular edge surface is in the range of 0.010'0.015 inch.

11. A container sealed by a standard crown closure, comprising in combination: an axially extending neck terminating at one end in a mouth; a crown closure receiving finish adjacent said mouth, said finish comprising, an annular seal-ing surface surrounding said mouth and defining the end of said neck, said annular sealing surface including a flat annular surface extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of said neck adapted to sealingly engage the crown closure; an exterior cylindrical surface concentric with said longitudinal axis of said neck extending from said annular sealing surface axially of said neck away from said one end, the axial extent of said cylindrical surface being less than the axial extent of the depending fluted skirt of the crown closure, a smooth annular conical gripping surface extending axially downwardly and inwardly from said cylindrical surface so as to merge with a reduced diameter portion of said neck, said cylindrical surface and said conical gripping surface meeting in a transversely rounded surface having a relatively small radius of curvature in radial section to thereby define a relatively sharp annular edge surface; a standard crown closure including a plastic sealing liner and a depending fluted skirt, said sealing liner being in sealing engagement with said annular sealing surface, said depending fluted skirt overlying said cylindrical surface and being sharply bent inwardly of said cylindrical surface at said sharp annular edge surface to retain said crown closure in sealing engagement with said finish by an annular inwardly disposed :portion of said skirt having a relatively narrow extent radially inwardly of said cylindrical surface engaging said conical gripping surface, said fluted skirt thereafter terminating in an outwardly flaring bottom portion so that only relatively slight outward distortion of said fluted skirt is necessary in order to effect removal of said crown closure from sealing engagernent with said finish; and a radially outwardly extending abutment surface spaced axially from said finish so as to provide a fulcrum for a lever means inserted between the lowermost peripheral edge of the fluted skirt of said crown closure retained in sealing engagement with said finish and said abutment surface whereby said crown closure may be removed from sealing engagement with said finish without substantial permanent deformation of said crown closure by a commonly available lever means so that said crown closure can be reapplied to, and retained in sealing engagement with, said finish to thereby effectively reseal said container.

12. The structure defined in claim 11 wherein said container is a glass bottle.

13. The structure defined in claim 12 wherein the radius in radial section of the sharp annular edge surface is less than 0.025 inch.

14. The structure defined in claim 12 wherein the radius in radial section of the sharp annular edge surface is in the range of 0010-0015 inch.

. 19 15. The structure defined in claim 14 wherein the liner is a vinyl chloride plastisol.

References Qited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1928 Vessy 21546 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,478 4/1931 Australia. 383,886 3/1908 France.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner.

15 I. B. MARBERT, Assistant Examiner.v 

1. A CROWN CLOSURE RECEIVING FINISH FOR A GLASS BOTTLE HAVING AN AXIALLY EXTENDING NECK TERMINATING AT ONE END IN A MOUTH ADAPTED TO BE SEALED BY A CROWN CLOSURE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: AN ANNULAR SEALING SURFACE SURROUNDING SAID MOUTH AND DEFINING THE END OF SAID NECK, SAID ANNULAR SEALING SURFACE INCLUDING A FLAT ANNULAR SURFACE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID NECK ADAPTED TO SEALINGLY ENGAGE A CROWN CLOSURE; AN EXTERIOR CYLINDRICAL SURFACE CONCENTRIC WITH SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID NECK EXTENDING FROM SAID ANNULAR SEALING SURFACE AXIALLY OF SAID NECK AWAY FROM SAID ONE END, THE AXIAL EXTENT OF SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACE BEING LESS THAN THE AXIAL EXTENT OF THE DEPENDING FLUTED SKIRT OF A CROWN CLOSURE WHEN SAID CROWN CLOSURE IS IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FLAT ANNULAR SURFACE; AND A SMOOTH ANNULAR CONICAL GRIPPING SURFACE EXTENDING AXIALLY DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY FROM SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACE SO AS TO MERGE WITH A REDUCED DIAMETER PORTION OF SAID NECK, SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACE AND SAID CONICAL GRIPPING SURFACE MEETING IN A TRANSVERSELY ROUNDED SURFACE HAVING A RELATIVELY SMALL RADIUS OF CURVATURE IN RADIAL SECTION TO THEREBY DEFINE A RELATIVELY SHARP ANNULAR EDGE SURFACE ABOUT WHICH THE FLUTED SKIRT OF A CROWN CLOSURE CAN BE SHARPLY BENT INWARDLY OF SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACE SO THAT SAID CROWN CLOSURE CAN BE RETAINED IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FINISH BY AN ANNULAR INWARDLY DISPOSED PORTION OF SAID FLUTED SKIRT ENGAGING SAID CONICAL GRIPPING SURFACE AND HAVING A RELATIVELY NARROW EXTENT RADIALLY INWARD OF SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACE SO THAT ONLY RELATIVELY SLIGHT DISTORTION OF SAID SKIRT PORTION OF SAID CROWN CLOSURE IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO EFFECT REMOVAL OF SAID CROWN CLOSURE FROM SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FINISH WHEREBY SAID CROWN CLOSURE MAY BE REMOVED FROM SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FINISH WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL PERMANENT DEFORMATION OF SAID CROWN CLOSURE SO THAT SAID CROWN CLOSURE CAN BE REAPPLIED TO, AND RETAINED IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH, SAID FINISH TO THEREBY EFFECTIVELY RESEAL SAID BOTTLE. 